AbstractsBiology & Animal Science

Quality and storage stability of provitamin A biofortified amahewu, a non-alcoholic cereal beverage

by Temitope Deborah Awobusuyi




Institution: Durban University of Technology
Department:
Year: 2015
Keywords: Fermentation – Health aspects – South Africa; Fermented foods – Microbiology – South Africa; Microbial biotechnology – South Africa; Corn products – South Africa
Record ID: 1417337
Full text PDF: http://hdl.handle.net/10321/1273


Abstract

submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of Master of Applied Science in Food Science and Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2015. min A deficiency (VAD) is a major health problem in sub-Saharan Africa where maize is a staple food. Amahewu, a fermented non-alcoholic,maize-based beverage is a popular drink in southern Africa.The aim of this study is to produce a provitamin A enriched and acceptable amahewu, using provitamin A biofortified maize which can be used to alleviate VAD. The optimal processing parameters for the production of amahewu using provitamin A-biofortified maize were determined. Amahewu samples were prepared with reference to a traditional method by boiling a mixture of maize meal and water (rato:1:7) at 90ᴼC, with occasional stirring, for 15 minutes. The resulting porridge was left to cool to approximately 40ᴼC, before inoculation and fermentation at 37oC. Processing parameters investigated were inoculum types (wheat bran (WB), maize malt (MM) and Lactobacillus mixed starter culture) and inoculum concentration (0.5,1 and 2% (w/w)) and varieties of provitamin A maize (PVAH 62 and PVAH 19). Wheat flour (at 2%) was used as reference inoculum to conform to the traditional practice. White maize amahewu samples processed in the same way as those of provitamin A-biofortified maize were used as references. Provitamin A amahewu samples were produced using the optimized processing parameters and then analysed for nutrient composition, including carotenoids, protein, ash, amino acids, mineral profile and invitro protein digestibility. The consumer acceptability of amahewu samples was evaluated using regular consumers of amahewu (n= 54), who rated the acceptability of the samples on a 9-point hedonic scale (1:disliked extremely, 9:liked extremely). The storage stability of the provitamin A biofortified amahewu samples was assessed by subjecting the samples to different storage conditions: 4ᴼC, 25ᴼC and 37ᴼC. The microbiological quality of the stored samples was monitored by taking samples every day for a period of five days to analyse for the presence of aerobic and anaerobic bacterial spore formers, E.coli and moulds. The provitamin A maize variety did not influence pH and Total titratable acidity (TTA) of amahewu samples during fermentation. As expected, there was a substantial drop in pH with fermentation time. After 24 hours, all the samples of amahewu, including those made with white maize, prepared using malted maize and wheat bran inocula reached a pH of 3.3-3.8 and TTA of 0.3-0.6, which were within acceptable range for amahewu. The addition of a starter culture substantially reduced fermentation time, from 24 to six hours. The inoculum of WB and MM, respectively, at a concentration of 0.5%, with or without starter culture (5%), were found to be suitable for the production of amahewu using provitamin A biofortified maize. The total provitamin A content of amahewu samples, produced using optimised parameters (i.e one variety of provitamin A…